The venerated image of Mater Dolorosa de Capas was canonically crowned on June 5 by Archbishop Charles John Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, at a Mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Tarlac City.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has granted the canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of Mercy, the “Mother of Novaliches” diocese in Quezon City.
The Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy parish, where the image is enshrined, has yet to announce the date for the pontifical coronation.
A pontifical coronation is a pious institutional act, wherein the Pope, through a bull, designates a crown or stellar halo to be added to a Marian image under a specific devotional title in a particular area or diocese.
A first for Tarlac diocese
The first canonical coronation in the 58-year history of the Diocese of Tarlac took place nine months after the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments approved its petition on October 1.
The image, also known as Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Capas, is enshrined at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Church in Dolores, Capas.
In his homily, the nuncio asked the faithful to turn to Mary to pray for “our difficulties, the sorrows, the sadness of our human lives.”
“Let us allow her to present them to Jesus, the Heavenly Father,” Brown said. “Let us remember that in our Catholic faith, sorrow will be turned into joy. That joy will have the last word.”
“These sorrows will be turned into joy because Jesus is the joy of our heart and Mary is the mother who brings that joy into the world,” he said.
Seven other prelates, led by Tarlac Bishop Enrique V. Macaraeg ,attended the ceremony, along with several priests, nuns and lay faithful while observing health protocols.
“Bishop Macaraeg dreams to a have a center of Marian devotion in the region and hopefully this will be it,” parish priest Fr. Melvin P. Castro.
He said the devotion to the Mater Dolorosa, which was honored with an episcopal coronation in 2018, has been recorded to have started as early as 1923.
Spiritual bond of affinity
The approval of the canonical coronation of the “Mother of Novaliches” was announced at the Corpus Christi Mass on June 6 at the shrine-parish presided by Archbishop Charles Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines.
The Mass also celebrated the granting of “spiritual bond of affinity” between the parish and the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
The privilege means that all indulgences granted in the basilica will be gained in the diocesan shrine.
“In May, we received the Spiritual Bond of Affinity document with Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome,” the parish said in a Facebook post.
“With gratitude and joy, we are now on the Pontifical Coronation of Our Lady of Mercy,” it added.
The post included a copy of the letter from the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments approving the parish’s petition for pontifical crowning.
The document dated May 24 was signed by Archbishop Arturus Roche, the secretary when the dicastery was still waiting for a new prefect.
Pope Francis eventually appointed Roche as the congregation’s new head on May 27, replacing Cardinal Robert Sarah, who retired from the Vatican post in February.
In January this year, Bishop Robert Gaa of Novaliches declared Our Lady of Mercy as the second patroness of the 18-year-old diocese.
On September 24, the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, the parish will also celebrate its 165th anniversary. Aimee Yeo and Minnie Agdeppa/CBCP News